Jim Daly (Cork South West, Fine Gael)
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Question 63: To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Food the position regarding the visit of Queen Elizabeth II visit to the Irish National Stud and the English Market in Cork; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [12591/11]

Simon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael)
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The fact that Queen Elizabeth chose to include the Irish National Stud in her very busy itinerary on this her first visit to this country brought the focus of the international media to the Irish horse breeding industry, an indigenous industry and one in which we excel on the world stage. I was delighted to be present myself to welcome Her Majesty to the Stud. Her Majesty's visit was an acknowledgement of the excellent standing of the Irish thoroughbred sector internationally and will further enhance the international reputation of this industry into the future.

I was also very pleased to welcome Queen Elizabeth to the English Market in Cork. Whilst this was important for the market itself on the day the broader media impact of the visit was a huge opportunity for the English Market, for Cork City, for our national pride in our food and for our international reputation as a source of high quality agri food produce. I cannot emphasise enough the impact that such a visit can have on our international reputation as a source of good food and the elevation of awareness for influencing consumers and customers around the world.

I envisage the market having a continued role as an ambassador for our food. The English Market traders, Cork City Council and Bord Bia will meet in early June to discuss continued collaborative effort to build the potential marketing legacy from the visit for the English Market, for Cork City and for our food.